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tv   America This Morning  ABC  November 16, 2012 4:00am-4:30am EST

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this morning, tragedy in texas. >> a celebration of veterans becomes a nightmare scene. a freight train ramming a parade float that was loaded with wounded vets and loved ones. new developments overnight from texas. breaking news. israel and gaza, grabbing the world's attention. ground troops at the ready, even as israel promises a truce. we are live in gaza. also, new images of sandy's wrath. the hurricane famously crippled public transit. and now, we have new video showing it all happen. and an incredible story from the storm zone. love letters wash ashore, discovered after 60 years.
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good morning, everyone. a salute to american heroes has turned into a horrific accident scene at a railroad crossing in texas. with four people dead, and 17 injured. >> federal investigators have arrived in midland, hours after a freight train slammed into a parade float that was carrying wounded veterans. abc's larry jacobs reports. >> the trailer got hit by a train. we need as many units as you can. >> reporter: a parade float carrying wounded veterans to a banquet in their honor, was broadsided by a freight train. it happened at this railroad crossing in midland, texas. two 18-wheelers were carrying dozens of wounded warriors and their families. the first got across the railroad tracks safely. but the second took the full force of the collision. >> saw the truck crossing the
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track. about halfway across, the gate started coming down. the truck tried to blow his horn to get the other people in front of him out of the way. the gate actually hit the first people on the trailer. >> some people were able to jump off. and some, they were sitting on the wheelchair on top of that. and they couldn't do nothing about it. >> reporter: sirens from the police cars in the parade may have drowned out the sound of the locomotive barreling down on the trailer. >> the wounded warriors were helping each other. they were moving each other. they throwed in. >> reporter: the national transportation safety board is investigating. larry jacobs, abc news, new york. that train is equipped with a black box that should be able to tell investigators how fast the locomotive was going and whether its horn was sounded. and turning to developments overnight in the middle east, violence erupted for the third day. nearly 100 israeli rockets slammed into gaza. our photographer captured the
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puffs of smoke as dawn broke. >> abc's alex marquardt is live in gaza. israel said it would stop its attacks for a few hours this morning. did they keep their word? >> reporter: that's right, rob. israel said it would stop its air strikes on gaza while egypt's prime minister visited. we expected a truce of around three hours. but it's very clear, now, that that has not happened. we've heard and felt the thuds of israeli strikes continue on the gaza strip. our gaza producer reported that two palestinians were killinged in the strikes, several were wounded. but the condition for this truce was that palestinian militants would stop firing on to southern israel. and they did not do that. we have seen ourselves, from right near our hotel, they are firing rockets. you hear the loud whoosh, the long vapor trails and the clouds
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of smoke. any talk of a truce is incorrect. >> what is the feeling you're getting? could israel send in ground troops? >> reporter: well, from the very beginning they talked about enlarging this operation. from the aerial offensive it's been so far, to include a ground invasion of gaza. yesterday, we saw large numbers of troops and tanks moving towards gaza. this morning, we heard that 16,000 reservists have been called up. this is the political season in israel. there's an election in january. it's unclear what the appetite is for a ground incursion. but what is clear, neither israel or hamas nor the other militant groups here are backing down. >> alex marquardt, live in gaza. thanks for your insight this morning. stay safe, alex. moving on to our other big story of the week. david petraeus is expected to face some pretty tough questions this morning over how the cia handled the attack in ben gas save. >> it's the first time top
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lawmakers had a chance to question petraeus since he was caught up in that sex scandal. abc's preeti arla has a preview from washington. >> reporter: david petraeus heads to capitol hill today to face lawmakers. he will meet behind closed doors with the house and senate intelligence committee. his testimony comes a week after he stepped down as cia director after admitting to an extramarital affair. >> director petraeus went to tripoli. he interviewed many of the people, as i understand it, that were involved. and so, the opportunity to get his views, i think are very -- is very important. >> reporter: the september 11th attack in benghazi, libya, left four people dead. yesterday, lawmakers heard from the acting cia director behind closed doors and watched the real-time video of the attacks. >> number one, were mistakes made? gosh, we know mistakes were made. and we have to learn from it. >> reporter: there's been many questions about the attack. the obama administration initially blamed it on protests
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over an anti-muslim video. that story later shifted, raising questions about what the administration knew and when they knew it was actually a terrorist attack. >> i don't think that the intelligence community, in any way, politicized the intelligence they were providing to members of the administration or congress. i think they gave us their best initial assessments. >> reporter: when petraeus testifies today, he's expected to give a timeline of events leading up to and during the attack. there's been a lot of focus on petraeus' affair and whether his conduct compromised national security. petraeus isn't expected to talk about that, but solely about the benghazi situation. lawmakers say once they complete the hearings on the benghazi attack, they expect to hold a public hearing to disclose any information that isn't classified. rob and paula? >> in the hot seat in more ways than one. preteti arla, live for us in washington. thanks, preeti. and today in washington, president obama holds critical
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meetings with lawmakers about ways to avoid the tax increases and spending cuts, known as the fiscal cliff. and later, the president gathers input from the naacp, the aarp, as well as other advocacy groups, as well. it's time for the weather from across this country. wet along the california coast for most of the day. rain expected to spread up the coast to seattle and portland later in the day. and at night, the mid-atlantic region will see a few showers. scattered snow across the desert southwest. >> it is warmer than usual in colorado springs. 50s in chicago and indianapolis. fargo is the cold spot today at 37. honolulu, doesn't that sound nice? will enjoy a high of 83. >> life is tough in hawaii. when we come back, how low can they go? new mortgage rates like we've never seen before. and the future of twinkies, hanging in the balance today. will it all end with some sweet
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sorrow? and twihards hit the midnight showings of the final "twilight" movie. and the first fan reviews are just coming in.
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welcome back, everybody. there is a huge settlement this morning, stemming from the gulf oil spill two years ago. bp is pleading guilty to federal charges in connection with the disaster back in april of 2010. they will now pay a record $4.5 billion and possible civil penalties that could be as much as $20 billion. on top of that, two supervisors were indicted on manslaughter
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charges. and a bp executive was charged, as well, with lying to investigators. this could be the twilight for twinkies. hostess brand gave its striking workers until yesterday afternoon to come back to work or else. today, the baker will say whether that or well means shutting down for good. if it was, 18,000 workers will lose their jobs. hostess products include twinkies, ding-dongs, and wonder bread. we're going to break bread or whatever this is, for maybe the last time. i'll give you the smaller one. >> cheers to you, hostess. mortgage rates have hit another low. the average rate on a 30-year loan is 3.3%. that's the lowest in 30 years. 15-year loans are at $2.65. that's also a record. the lower rates have helped boost sales of new and previously-owned homes. action figures and a are tht members of the toy hall of fame.
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yes, there is a toy hall of fame. the phenomenal popularity of the "star wars" toys some 30 years ago, inspired other movie and television tie-ins. a domino effect in the toy industry. and dominos is a classic game, invented in china in the 1300s. this is for you. it's tough being a parent in the big apple, to say the least. a "new york times" columnist estimates that raising a child in the big apple costs more than four-times the regional average. that is almost $2 million. among the biggest differences were the cost of full-time child care, as much as $16,000 a year, and renting a better apartment. >> and astronomical prices, tuition prices, sky-high. >> take those home to the kids. >> all we're going to be eating. actually, i should sell these. they probably go for a lot of money. >> whatever you have to do here in new york. when we come back, the
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petraeus connection. did the women at the center of the sex scandal try to cash in on the four-star general? and greek life on one campus. the student death that finally got fraternities and sororities tossed. ♪ daisy, do a dollop
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fast and furious. newly released video shows hurricane sandy flooding commuter train stations in hoboken and jersey city, new jersey. tons of water gushing from an elevator shaft. turnstiles and train tracks were completely submerged. full train service won't be restored for several weeks. and it's no surprise after seeing that video. now, let's take a look at your morning road conditions on this friday. it's going to be wet on the major highways from l.a. to northern california. showers are possible on the roads around the nation's capital. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible in seattle, san francisco, and los angeles, over there on the west coast.
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well, with each passing day the sex scandal that brought down former cia chief, david petraeus, turns up more subplots than a spy novel. >> the latest chapter involves the women and whether they tried to profit the from their connections to petraeus. abc's brian ross investigates. >> reporter: in addition to the book and the sex, paula broadwell's connection with general david petraeus provided another benefit. a celebrity status in military circles that led to a role as an expert commentator and firing range demonstrator on an infomercial for a company trying to gain military contracts for this strange looking lightweight machine gun. >> on the individual fighter, reducing weight is critical. >> reporter: on this tape, shot last december in the midst of her affair with the four-star general running the cia, broadwell is identified as the author of the petraeus biography. and broadwell is not the only woman who seems to have tried to
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benefit from her ties to petraeus. tampa socialite, jill kelley, allegedly used the cia director's name in an effort this summer to broker a contract for a $4 billion energy facility, with senior officials of the south korean government. according to new york businessman adam victor. >> miss kelley made it clear to me that general petraeus put her in this position. and that's why she was able to have access to such senior levels that they were essentially doing a favor for general petraeus. >> reporter: the new york business man says he broke off dealing with jill kelley after she asked for an $80 million commission. there was no immediate comments from kelley. but a source close to petraeus said, he had absolutely nothing to do with jill kelley's deal. and in fact, had asked her to stop throwing his name around. brian ross, abc news, new york. in california, the party is over for fraternities and sororities at chico state university. the school's president yesterday announced greek life on campus was suspended indefinitely.
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that move comes after a student drank himself to death celebrating his 21st birthday. frats and sororities must remove all greek letters from buildings. they cannot recruit members. and absolutely no social events. time, now, for some sports. nfl week 11 gets under way. and on top of that, are the new york knicks still the only unbeaten team in the nba? espn news has the full wrap-up. >> the new york knicks, 5-0, and trying to stay undefeated, taking on the spurs. tyson chandler, getting ready for this one. first quarter, raymond felton, to chandler, with the alley-oop jam. 13 points, 11 boards. knicks up two. rasheed wallace, three of his ten point office the bench. the knicks, with an eight-point lead. later, the spurs would fight in this one.
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fourth quarter. getting the layup to go. he had 13 boards off the bench. and later, one more time. the spurs with a ten-point lead. later in the fourth, knicks trail by one. j.r. smith, knocking down the three. he had 17 points off the bench. the knicks with a two-point lead. just over a minute to go. felton, with the assist. 25 points. this will get it to jason kidd. the knicks win 104-100. to the nfl. reggie bush and the dolphins on the road to take on the bills. first quarter, no score. dolphins, here's mckelvin. taking the punt back 79 yards for the touchdown. his second punt return of the season. 7-0, bills. under a minute to play in the game. ryan tannehill trying to make
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something happen. down the middle. but no, picked off. the bills win 19-14. that's your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. have a great day. >> thank you, jorge. it may be one of the greatest goals you've seen in soccer. it happened during an exhibition match during sweden and england on tuesday. >> he pulled off a shot that would make pele proud. unbelievable. he was red-hot during the game, scoring four goals. three in just the final 13 minutes. i've never seen anything like it. that's incredible. >> bless you. up next, "the pulse." oh, my. my three sons, the biggest triplets ever. wait until you see these big babies. >> i want to see mom. and in the wreckage of sandy, long-lost love letters. what's left of a wartime sandy, long-lost love letters. what's left of a wartime romance. irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today.
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[ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®. xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem, that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce the risk of an afib-related stroke. there is limited data on how these drugs compare when warfarin is well managed. no routine blood monitoring means bob can spend his extra time however he likes. new zealand! xarelto® is just one pill a day, taken with the evening meal. and with no dietary restrictions, bob can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto® rivaroxaban without talking to the doctor who prescribes it for you.
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we're going to check "the pulse," starting with the final chapter of the "twilight" saga. it hit theaters at midnight. >> and twihards, mostly girls, are weighing in on twitter. laura and ember say "breaking dawn 2" has the biggest plot twist in history. olivia tweets the last 20 minutes made me re-evaluate my life. now, to be fair to the men folk, here's eric who says, quote, in an alternate ending, buffly kills them all. >> the best film in the series. doesn't necessarily mean it's good. >> oh, well. it will make a lot of money. we know that. from the devastation of hurricane sandy, strangers connecting to share a love story
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spanning seven decades. >> the day after the storm hit, kathleen mullen of new jersey found a bundle of love letters washed up on the beach. they were written between 1942 and '47, sent by a woman to her fiance in world war ii. he passed away. and she's in a nursing home. but mullen tracked down her niece in virginia who will get the letters and preserve her family's history. that's an awesome story. >> it is. and we've all heard that three's a crowd. there's probably no one that knows that better than a california woman who just gave birth to the heaviest triplets ever. >> this hurts just reading this. the new baby boys weighed in at a total of more than 20 pounds. the biggest one, 7 pounds, 8 ounces, all by himself. and for those wondering, they were conceived naturally and delivered by c-section. >> since it's thanksgiving time, doctors showed off a big turkey to give us all an idea of what
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20 pounds of baby is really like. >> enjoy your rest, momma bird. how do you always have my favorite coffee? well, inside the brewer, there's a giant staircase. and the room is filled with all these different kinds of coffee and even hot cocoa. and you'll always find your favorite. woman #2: with so many choices, keurig has everyone's favorite. i just press this button. brew what you love, simply. keurig. plus the perfecting color of a bb cream equal? introducing the newest beauty trend. total effects cc cream c for color. c for correction. [ female announcer ] fight 7 signs of aging flawlessly. cc what's possible. flawlessly. it'and start talking aboutt whawhat you really wanthroom. from your toilet paper. it's time to talk about clean. feeling clean is so important. i use quilted northern. quilted northern soft and strong is stronger than the leading value brand,
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updating the top stories. federal investigators will look for the cause of a deadly train collision in midland, texas. a freight train slammed into a parade float carrying wounded veterans, killing four people and injuring 17. fighting between israelis and palestinians has escalated sharply with nearly 100 missiles being launched into gaza. israel had offered to stop its offensive while egypt's leader was in the region. david petraeus heads to capitol hill, where he will face tough questions from lawmakers over the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in libya. the hearings are being held behind closed doors. quick look at weather. mostly pleasant in the east and the midwest, except for showers around d.c. it will be a rainy day out west along the california coast. finally this friday morning, the late-night comics have had plenty of grift for their
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monologues this week. >> we start with stephen colbert's take on the petraeus sex scandal. >> this story has everything. a decorated war hero that is america's spy master, has an affair with his own sexy biographer, who senses the spy master is stepping out on her with a second girlfriend. she sends an e-mail from a secret account saying, step off. and the second hottie freaks out and contacts her friend, an fbi agent, who launches an investigation, but gets pulled off the case because he sent her a shirtless photo. meanwhile, the spy master's protege, also a general, has spent thousands of e-mails to the second woman. this isn't just a love triangle, folks. it's a love pentagon. >> he likes to take pictures of himself without his shirt and shoot them around to verarious people. and somehow he became involved
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with petraeus and the other generals and the cia thing. wait a minute. this rings a bell. oh, yes. at the fbi, j. edgar hoover used to do the same thing. except it was usually in a backless evening gown. >> yeah. >> president obama gave his first press conference since being re-elected. and a lot of people are saying it looked like he was trying to cover up some of his gray hair. so, i guess obama's major goals include jobs for women and just for men. >> by the way, if you're looking for a job, facebook just launched a new app that may be of use to you. they teamed up with the department of label to create what they call the social jobs app. you can brows through 200 jobless claims. you know it's bad when facebook tells you get off your as and get a job. facebook has an app that will help you lose your job. it's called facebook. try it. >> very true, jimmy.

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